Little Red Riding Kira
by Mikachuu
Summary: AU, crack-parody fic. Nine-year old Kira Yamato journeys through the woods to visit Athrun and Auntie Lenore. What or rather, whom will he encounter along the way? Complete!
1. Kira's Cooking Adventures

Warnings: AU, crack-parody fic...Maybe a little OOC-ness, but that's to be expected. Kira's nine in this fic, therefore he has half the life experiences to shape his character. Besides, it's not supposed to be taken seriously (thank god).

A/N: I have _no idea_ why I decided to write this. It's probably the worst case of plot bunnies I've ever had. It's also the quickest fanfic I've ever written...

Disclaimer: Be thankful that I don't own Gundam SEED.

**Little Red Riding Kira.**

by Mikachuu

Chapter One: Kira's Cooking Adventures.

Deep in the woods where wildlife flourished, there lived a woman named Caridad Yamato and her son Kira. Kira was an extremely kind young boy who liked to bake cupcakes and talk to the animals in the trees. He was only nine years old, which explained why he had the time to do things such as these.

The Yamatos were good friends with the Zala family; however the Zalas lived on the other side of the forest and visits were considered to be excursions of sorts. Athrun Zala, Kira's best friend, had given him a red coat made by his mother. Kira often wore this coat on his many trips to the Zala household, becoming affectionately known as 'Little Red Riding Kira'.

One day, Kira woke up early to preheat the kitchen oven to 180 degrees Celsius. He was baking some special cakes to take to Auntie Lenore's house and needed plenty of time to cook before he embarked on his lengthy expedition. (Technically, Lenore Zala was not Kira's aunt, but what had started out as a nickname seemed to have stuck.)

"What a beautiful morning!" Kira exclaimed, marvelling upon the view of the sunrise through the kitchen window. A mechanical bird swooped down from the ceiling and landed on Kira's shoulder, chirping in affirmation. Torii, as he called it, was yet another gift from Athrun. He had created numerous robotic creatures which threatened to outnumber the creatures that naturally existed in the woods.

Kira hummed to himself as he sifted the flour. Life was grand - he would give Lenore and Athrun plenty of cavities, and in return, Athrun would give him insomnia in the form of one of his robots. He stirred the mixture with his little finger, mixing in all his love and that cold he'd had the previous week; then proceeded to lick the bowl clean after half-filling the patty tins he'd set aside.

Torii whistled a brief melody, indicating that the oven was ready. Kira thanked his metallic friend and carefully placed the trays inside the oven, then went off to prepare for his trip to the Zala's.

Half an hour later, Kira returned to the kitchen dressed in his infamous red coat. He piled the cakes and some sweets into a large basket and covered it with a checkered red and white cloth which matched his attire. Caridad led her smiling son outside and began to lecture him about his trip.

"Now, Kira. Promise me you won't take apples from strangers with pointy noses..." Kira rolled his eyes; he had to withstand the same lecture every time he went to Auntie Lenore's. Half the situations his mother mentioned were the kinds of things that would only occur in a children's story and not in real life - Kira was quite sure he was aware of the difference between the two. Besides, those stories had taught him not to make the same mistakes as their protagonists.

"...and finally, go straight there. Don't take any detours so you can play in the forest with those...animals." Caridad finished. In reality, Athrun's house was about a ten minute walk away; but Kira was one of those easily-distracted children who could spend hours fascinated by an oddly-coloured twig.

Kira let out an exasperated sigh, visibly disappointed. At this rate, he'd end up being lonely if his mother continued barring any contact with his friends. The fact that they were a couple of deer, bluebirds and a Pikachu was irrelevant - Kira was not one to judge others by their appearance. "Oh...alright, mother."

And with that, Kira pulled his red hood over his chestnut hair and began his journey to Athrun's house.

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A/N: I...need to cut down on sugar. Please click the review button...no flames.

I'll update soon, I've got the other chapters written out already.


	2. Run In With Shinn

A/N: Yay, thankyou! Cookies for all lovely reviewers...or Kira's sugar-loaded cupcakes. ((tosses food at reviewers))

Next update will be at the beginning of February unless I manage to get on the net before then. The bandwidth for the month is almost used up...which definitely has nothing to do with my fanarting sprees. ((shifty look)) So I'm really sorry that you guys have to wait. If I had my way, I'd be using broadband and update quicker! xD

I've done a fanart of Little Red Riding Kira (because I was bored), so if you're interested, go to my deviantART on my profile.

**Little Red Riding Kira.**

by Mikachuu

Chapter Two: Run-in With Shinn.

Kira continued along the path that existed only for the sake of this story, or rather, his visits to the Zala house. He was still abiding by his mother's word, never daring to venture into the woods; despite wanting to say hello to the squirrel family. It was by a twist of fate that he happened to meet the resident cosplayer, Shinn Asuka, along his way.

Shinn was only seven, but he was rather spoiled. His mother was unable to refuse his unreasonable demands; and as a result lived her life behind a sewing machine, creating costumes at Shinn's request. Today he was cosplaying as Kouga from Inuyasha, which was quite ironic considering his role in the tale of little Kira's life.

"Hey, _Little Red Riding Kira_," Shinn gave Kira a greeting of sorts, smiling in a condescending manner. Kira smiled back with all honesty, not quite noticing the disgust with which he was regarded.

"Good morning, Shinn," Kira replied politely. On any other day, he would have made a greater effort to continue a conversation, but he wanted to get to Athrun's place as quickly as possible. He continued walking, but Shinn fell into step beside him. Kira didn't mind, though, it meant that he was still getting closer to his goal.

"Where are you going, _Little Red Riding Kira_?" Shinn asked. Kira wondered why Shinn had to keep repeating his name, but didn't ask.

"I'm going to Auntie Lenore's house," he said happily, "I baked lots of cakes for her and Athrun!"

"Oh, really?" Shinn feigned interest in Kira's adventures whilst trying not to appear too interested. "Where does Auntie Lenore live?"

"By the lakeside," he told him, mentally taking note that the frog family lived close by. Shinn, meanwhile, was eyeing off the basket of goodies that Kira was clutching.

"That's awfully thoughtful of you to visit them," Shinn said, one his furry legwarmers brushing against Kira's red coat. Kira frowned at the outfit, hoping that the fur was indeed fake.

...Who was he kidding? From what Kira knew, Shinn was a trustworthy boy and he was sure that he would never wear animal fur. Kira scolded himself for doubting him.

"Perhaps you should bring some flowers?" Shinn suggested. Kira shook his head; what would Athrun do with _flowers_? "For your auntie, silly. There are plenty of beautiful flowers growing in the woods."

Kira gasped; he'd forgotten how much Auntie Lenore loved flowers! Completely disregarding his mother's detailed instructions, he thanked the Kouga cosplayer and headed into the forest.

Watching Kira go, Shinn smiled to himself. He knew very well that Kira's journey would take another hour or so when there was such a colourful distraction awaiting him. Shinn turned and ran toward the lake.

As for Kira, he had stumbled into a meadow of sorts. The sun shone brightly upon him as Kira hummed to himself and pored over the flowers. There were so many different colours and varieties; he was at a loss as to which ones to choose.

Kira was so busy picking flowers that he didn't notice Athrun dancing naked in the meadow nearby. It was a good thing he was oblivious to this, as such a distraction would prevent him from reaching the Zala house until chapter 84. Luckily, he only spent about half an hour arranging his bouquet, and soon decided to resume his journey.

Looking up at the sun in the sky, Kira frowned to himself. "Oh no! It's almost lunchtime! I'd better hurry, or Athrun will be too full for cake!" He quickened his pace and continued along the path, now clutching a bunch of flowers in various hues.

* * *

A/N Sorry if I scarred anyone with Athrun's dancing. It was so crack-ish that Nacho-Chan wouldn't let me delete it. I really shouldn't let her watch me write fanfiction. ((sigh))

The reason Kira would be distracted is open to interpretation. Either he required therapy or he decided to join in. O.o Or whatever other reasons you can come up with...?

Please review, haha.


	3. Cosplay at Lenore's

A/N: Thanks to all reviewers:) I'm glad I finally got a chance to post this. I have no idea when the last chapter will be up, but I'll try to post soon!

**Little Red Riding Kira.**

by Mikachuu

Chapter Three: Cosplay At Lenore's.

Shinn smirked as he reached the house by the lake. "That Kira idiot is probably trying to pick _all_ the flowers in the field." He knocked on the door and waited as patiently one can whilst their evil plan unfolds.

"Who is it?" someone called from inside the house; presumably Athrun's mother. Shinn cleared his throat and answered.

"It is I, Little Red Riding Kira!" he shouted back.

"Oh, Kira!" Lenore flung the door open and ushered Shinn inside. "Your hair has gotten rather dark, hasn't it? Did you decide to dress up just to come over here?"

Shinn cringed as he was fussed over. "Uh...well..."

"And you're not wearing your coat. You can't announce yourself as Little Red Riding Kira if you're not wearing a red coat, can you?" Lenore shook her head to herself, rearranging some books on a shelf. Shinn visibly slapped his forehead; how could he have forgotten to actually dress like Kira? It wasn't as if Lenore was an old woman with sight problems. Being a master of cosplay, he was expected to play the part in costume!

"I suppose I forgot it," Shinn finally answered, fidgeting with the fake claws he had glued to his fingernails and wishing he'd actually brought some food to make his act more convincing. He glanced around wildly at the contents of the living room.

"You do blend in with the animals..." Lenore was murmuring something about Athrun coming back soon, but Shinn wasn't really paying much attention to her. He was busy looking for something he could use to his advantage.

The morning paper sat on the coffee table, open to a half-completed crossword with a discarded pen lying beside it. However, what Shinn noticed was the large, cartoonish mallet sitting beside it.

_What on earth?_ he thought, picking up the object and running his hands over it. He wasn't sure why there was a huge mallet sitting on the Zalas' coffee table, and he wasn't quite sure he needed to know, either.

"Wow, Auntie Lenore! Look at this!" Lenore turned to see Shinn perched on the coffee table, pointing with one arm toward the roof. She quickly rushed towards him, frowning.

"Be careful, Kira, dear! You shouldn't stand on the coffee table; it might break and then you'll hurt yourself-" She stopped mid-sentence, as the boy looked down at her. This boy wasn't Kira. This boy was a little younger and stared at her with piercing red eyes.

That was the last thing Lenore Zala could recall before the mallet came down and she blacked out.

---

Meanwhile, Kira had concluded that he was not far from the house. He could tell by the increasing number of coloured Haros that kept attacking him from the bushes. Sometimes, Kira wished that Athrun would program better behaviour into those easily-excited spheres, but Athrun insisted that they weren't capable of harming anyone. Kira and his numerous bruises begged to differ.

Hurrying along the path in order to avoid any Haro-induced casualties, Kira dashed past the lake and across the stepping stones, knocking on the wooden door.

"Hi Auntie Lenore!" Kira shouted, in case she was down the other end of the house and couldn't hear him, "It's me, Little Red Riding Kira!"

Kira let himself in; the Zalas had left the door unlocked as they were expecting him. He looked around, wondering where his aunt was. "Hellooo?"

Suddenly, Lenore came bustling through the kitchen door, dressed in an apron with a gigantic feather duster in hand. A bandanna of sorts was tied over her hair; Kira assumed it was so it wouldn't get in the way while she cleaned. She stopped and looked up at Kira. "Kira dearie! You've gotten so tall!" She said in a rather strained voice. Kira frowned, something was a little off about her.

"My, Auntie Lenore, you're really short...!" Kira observed, staring down at Lenore who usually towered over him in a similar manner to her son. She simply shrugged, looking at the carpet.

"It makes it easier to clean under the sink, I suppose?" She grinned at Kira, red eyes flashing. ...Red? Athrun's eyes were _green_, so why did his mother have red eyes?

"And your eyes are red! Haven't you been getting enough sleep?" Kira was worried; maybe Lenore had shrunk overnight due to some sort of stress-related illness.

"What?" Lenore snapped, sounding rather bratty all of a sudden. "I like my eyes! I think they look pretty. I don't care if you don't like them, you twerp!"

Kira blinked. "Uh..."

Lenore coughed a couple of times, shuffling closer to Kira whilst trying to hide the feather duster behind her back. Numerous feathers scattered to the floor behind her, unable to stick to the duster any longer. "So, Kira dearest..."

"Hey!" Kira was growing increasingly suspicious by now, "What's with that giant feather duster you're hiding? Wait, no...is that a mallet? Why have you glued feathers to a giant mallet?"

Lenore grinned again. "All the better to knock you out with!"

"Wha-WAHH!" Kira cried as he was hit on the head with the feathery mallet and fell to the ground. Lenore - or rather, Shinn - removed his apron and laughed hysterically, taking Kira's hooded red jacket for himself.

"Stupid Kira!" little Shinn muttered, slipping his arms into the jacket. It was a little too big for him, but his mum could always adjust it for him later - one always cosplayed to suit one's body. He smiled and dragged the unconscious Kira Yamato to the broom cupboard, then proceeded to the bathroom in order to admire himself in the mirror.

* * *

A/N: Oh no! Someone had better get the insane cosplayer out of the Zala house ((coughs)) You'd think Shinn would use something better than a giant mallet, but there shouldn't really be bloodshed in a children's tale. xD 


	4. Athrun the Brave

A/N: ... ((Authoress is currently not present as she is the embodiment of laziness where writing is concerned, and was only inspired to go proof-read this chapter after being put in a 'writing mood' by an English exam. Please accept her apologies as adequate for the current, and all future unexplained absences. (We call it M.I.A in SEED-verse.)))

((By the way, this is the end...Athrun has come to fight for 'justice', aka. ending this insane story! Thanks for all your support; hugs all round! And sorry for being so inexplicably lazy.))

**Little Red Riding Kira.**

by Mikachuu

Chapter Four: Athrun the Brave

It was just past midday and Athrun Zala's little stomach had decided that now was the time to go home and feast upon whatever his mother had cooked for lunch. He had been sitting in the cabbage patch most of the morning, letting his imagination run wild. Athrun often liked to contemplate the answers to questions beginning with 'what if...?' and today's topic was, ironically, 'what if we all lived in space colonies?'

This speculation had taken up most of the time he usually reserved for playing Whack-a-Mole in the woods and collecting the cabbages for dinner. His favourite red mallet lay untouched amongst the vegetables, and his basket was only half-full of food. Athrun stood up and yawned, dusting off his shirt emblazoned with the word _JUSTICE_. He collected his respective items and headed back home.

Having at last made his decision, the youngest Zala family member took the quickest and most reliable route back to his house. Unlike our protagonist who was known for his short attention span, Athrun was known to devote all his energy to doing things as efficiently as possible. However, it could be argued that it took Athrun just as long to actually make a decision as it did Kira to finish something.

Athrun himself knocked on the door, unaware that his indecisive streak was currently being analysed by people he never had considered to exist. "Mother, I'm hooome!" he called. Athrun was rather reluctant to admit that he'd forgotten to take his key along on his expedition, preferring to claim he was relying on Lenore to let him inside the house. However, she didn't seem to be responding to him. "Muuuuum?"

After mulling it over for a few minutes, Athrun decided to resort to Plan B. Patrick Zala had informed his son that he was only to resort to such a method in case of emergency - and according to Athrun's stomach, this was an emergency indeed. So he climbed into his father's treasured ceremonial flower garden (_'We planted some of these the year you were born!'_ Patrick had told him, but Athrun knew they were actually in celebration of some military thing that just _happened_ to coincide with his birthday). Luckily for him, he soon found the spare key hidden amongst the sea of white, red and green. He'd dug up a fair few plants along the way, sure, but that was nothing a bit of quick explaining couldn't fix.

A desperate Athrun Zala then marched into his house, led by his appetite. "I'm so hungry," he whined, not bothering to consider the rationality of declaring it to an empty room. What had begun as a brave and determined advance toward the kitchen soon became a tired lumber down the hallway as he completed the final stretch on his hands and knees.

And just as he thought all hope was lost; there he saw it, arranged on a silver platter and raised on the pedestal of the kitchen bench as though it was the solution to all mankind's problems - Kira's cupcakes.

Granted, they had little nutritional value and contained about twenty-seven times the recommended daily sugar intake for a nine-year old, but stomachs generally don't take these things into consideration when empty.

And all Athrun had to say was, "Yatta!" as he took a leap of faith toward the cupcakes.

"...Athrun?" Kira asked, apparently confused as to why his friend was leaping onto benches.

"Oh, hi Kira!" Athrun mumbled distractedly through a mouthful of cake. "Sorry, I didn't know you were coming. I was outside, and I was thinking-"

"Athrun!" Kira repeated, apparently irritated that his friend was more interested in the cupcakes than him.

"-and you know, how weird would it be if you had a twin sister?" Athrun wiped the icing off his mouth, giggling at the blue stain it left on his fingertips - apparently the sugar had already gone to his head. "Oh, this one is really yummy and blue. Did you know my hair is blue? Hey, wouldn't it be funny if Daddy's hair was blue, too-"

"ATHRUN!!"

"Yes?" Athrun stopped noting his observations and placed the cupcake beside him on the bench, supposing that his friend's one-word vocabulary was the result of something important that he probably needed to see. Although, upon turning around, Athrun decided he'd probably rather be looking at the brightly-coloured cupcakes. "Kira - WAHHH!"

For there stood Shinn on the kitchen chair, wrapped in Kira's prized red jacket with various pieces of jewellery slung carelessly around his neck. Had he pulled the hood up, Athrun wouldn't have noticed the ribbons and clips placed seemingly randomly in his hair. He posed with his hands on his hips while he was backlit dramatically by an unknown light source.

"Uh, no...what?!" Athrun was very confused right now, not to mention disturbed by the sight before him. He backed across the bench, ignoring the possibility of breaking it, as his mouth formed an 'O' shape. The only thing he could think of right now was to prevent any further loss of sanity, so he curled up into a little ball and covered his eyes, hoping Shinn would just go away.

Shinn, however, was not pleased with this reaction. "Athrun, you idiot! You ruined my dramatic pose because you were too absorbed in the cupcakes to look at me. Do you know how long it took me to set up the lighting effects? Not to mention, you completely missed the confetti falling!"

_Oh, great. I don't think mother will believe me if I tell her there was a wedding in here..._ Athrun made a strange mewing sound as he peeked at the multicoloured mess on the floor which he would have to claim responsibility for. "You're not Kira..." he murmured, "Kira isn't mean, and he doesn't mess up the house." _Well, that time he knocked over the fish tank accidentally doesn't count._

"What do you mean, I'm not Kira?" Shinn yelled. "I am too! Look at me, I executed this costume down to the finest detail - uh, I mean...I look like Kira, why wouldn't I be Kira? I'M KIRA! OKAY?" he screamed, threatening to throw a tantrum.

_Aha! I exposed you!_ Athrun smiled slightly and decided it was best to approach Shinn tactfully in case he threw something and broke it - Athrun had better things to do than clean, like contemplate the meaning of his existence. He finished the remainder of his blue cupcake, pushing himself off the bench.

"But your hair is too dark," he said, picking up a chocolate-iced cake and comparing it to Shinn's hair. "This is Kira's hair colour, see?"

Shinn simply pouted, and Athrun frowned, trying to remain patient.

"Listen, Shinn Asuka, why are you in my house? Not to mention, how?" He'd figured he'd rather know the answer to these questions than why Shinn was accessorizing like his mother and Kira...at the same time.

"Because...because I'm Kira Yamato! I'm your best friend, so I'm at your house. That's what best friends do! They visit each other's houses!" Shinn honestly appeared to be on the verge of tears, and had Athrun's analytical mind not been fuelled by the sugar content of Kira's cupcakes, he probably would have fallen for it.

Instead, Athrun nodded and started on the chocolate cupcake, regarding Shinn with an equally false sense of sympathy as though he were a psychiatrist listening to his patient's problems. "Okay, Shinn. And why are you wearing Kira's jacket?"

"I'm Kiraaaaaaa!" Shinn wailed as though it was the obvious solution.

"But Kira doesn't wear my mother's jewellery." Athrun peered closer. "Also, your eyes are red. They should be purple if you are Kira as you say you are."

Shinn folded his arms and cried, "What the hell is wrong with my cosplay? I tried really hard on it, and I did it all on my own!"

Athrun pointed his finger in the air all-knowingly, "Ah, I told you what was wrong with it. Also, what you have done should be defined as identity theft, not cosplay. Along with that, you have stolen my mother's jewellery _and_ Kira's favourite jacket. What do you have to say for yourself?" He smiled proudly to himself, having thrown as many big words as he possibly could into his little lecture and likely confused the seven-year old before him.

"You're a big meanie, Athrun Zala!" Shinn deduced, squealed and ran out of the kitchen.

"Hey! You-" Athrun threw down his cupcake and snatched up his conveniently located red mallet. This mallet was a very special mallet. Not only was it red (like all his other mallets) but it was his favourite one. The defining aspect of this mallet was that it was of the inflatable kind. It was the kind of novelty object one found in free showbags, but Athrun saw its tendency to squeak as ideal for fighting any enemies he encountered during his lifetime.

And right now, Shinn had been branded an enemy.

Athrun hurried out of the room and followed Shinn up the staircase. Thanks to Kira's apathy toward the preservation of precious resources (i.e sugar), Athrun found himself functioning at a speed not even a Coordinator child would be expected to, with energy to spare. He decided to expend this energy by tapping each stair with his mallet, simply because he found the sound twice as amusing whilst in his sugar-high state of mind.

Shinn himself panicked as he heard the squeaking sounds grow closer. _He...he's gaining on me!_ In a mad rush he made the last few steps, only to trip on the topmost one and fall flat on the carpet. "WAHH!"

"Hah! I have you now!" Athrun cried triumphantly, finally making the flight of stairs just as Shinn pushed himself onto his knees. "Now you must answer to my mallet of justice!"

And Shinn looked up in foreboding as the giant red shape slowly dominated his field of vision. He braced himself for the pain, shutting his eyes and digging his nails into the carpet.

_Squeak._

Shinn opened one eye cautiously.

_Squeak. Giggle. Squeak._

"Now, Shinn...where are my mother and Kira?"

He could see the red shape connecting with his head, but it wasn't painful. It was nothing but a dull, slightly irritating tapping on his head. The shape itself seemed to have lost its ominous presence, and Shinn started to realise how utterly ridiculous the situation actually was. He started to twitch in response to each _squeak_.

"Hehe," Athrun hiccupped (Shinn wondered for a fleeting moment if there existed such a thing as 'intoxication by cupcakes') and continued hitting Shinn with the mallet, which never failed to yield a resounding _squeak_, "If you don't wanna tell me...then I suppose I'll just keep doing this, 'cause it's kind of _fun_."

Shinn finally cracked. "**NOOOOOOOOO!!**" he shouted, and rolled away from Athrun's elaborate Shinn-hitting routine. "I...I'll talk, I'll talk! Just stop...no more squeaky noises!"

A prolonged silence hung in the air. The older Coordinator, who looked like he'd been on an adventure through a garden patch (which he had), simply surveyed the younger boy, who appeared to have been through a older woman's accessories (which he also had). Shinn watched fearfully; when Athrun unexpectedly cracked a smile.

"Okay, Shinn. You made the right decision," he said, eerily calm, tossing the mallet down the stairs.

Shinn flinched at the familiar sound that followed.

--

"Oh, you poor, misunderstood, little boy! You come over and eat cupcakes whenever you want, dearie." Lenore said lovingly as she arranged the cupcakes upon three various plates. Shinn visibly flinched, but was sedated by the sudden appearance of a stoic Athrun beside him. Athrun glanced at him as if to keep him in line. "See, Athrun would be glad to have you!"

After Shinn had courteously escorted Athrun to the broom cupboard where he had immobilised Lenore and Kira, the three of them had demanded he give a detailed explanation. He had no choice but to comply, since a strong fear of squeaking noises had been instilled in him thanks to Athrun's handiwork.

A bashful Shinn hurriedly explained that he in fact idolised Kira, despite constantly giving him attitude. Cosplay seemed to be the only was he could express his admiration, imitation being the sincerest form of flattery. However, he was severely lacking in sewing skill and resorted to his demented plan in order to obtain the different parts of his costume.

Little Red Riding Kira himself didn't seem to mind that the rest of the story involved Shinn explaining how he'd gagged Kira and Lenore and stuffed them in the closet upstairs. He preferred to continue gorging himself on the cakes of his own creation (he had built up an immunity to the effects of the sugar, or rather, he was on a constant sugar high). Athrun's favourite part, though, was the mention of a brave knight with a red mallet who somehow magically thwarted Shinn's plans. He struggled to understand why Shinn refused to impart more wisdom regarding this character's exploits - Athrun thought it was the most exciting part of the entire tale.

There was one thing he knew from now on, though. At least he, Athrun Zala, was an independent soul capable of standing up for what he believed was right - what he believed was _justice_ - and he didn't want, nor did he need any fans, or stalkers, to guide him along his way. Scratch that, he didn't _have_ any rabid fans impacting on his reputation. (Well, to his knowledge at least - Athrun still hadn't dismissed the idea of parallel universes.) And to be honest, Athrun liked things the way they were.

Glancing at Kira as he started on Athrun's own share of cupcakes, Athrun returned to observing his prized mallet. Thinking about nothing in particular, he busied himself with polishing it with his sleeve. However, he soon became acutely aware that something (or rather, someone) was watching him closely. "Uhmmm...Athrun?" Shinn asked cautiously.

Athrun turned. "Yes, Shinn?"

Shinn didn't respond, but simply cast an intense gaze at him. Athrun recognised the sentiment immediately, and he reeled backward in shock and fear, dropping his half-eaten cupcake.

For Shinn was looking at Athrun with newfound admiration.

_Touché_, Athrun thought, paling slightly.

--

END.

A/N: That was really long, so maybe it makes up for my absence...Not really, haha. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, or even if you're just stopping by to read! Hopefully I'll write more in the future...should plot bunnies come my way. ((looks at the sky in hope))


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